Category Archives: News

Welcome To The Cinema of Childhood | Film News

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Filmhouse, Edinburgh has announced a UK-wide film season, Cinema of Childhood, curated by filmmaker Mark Cousins and inspired by his latest feature documentary, A STORY OF CHILDREN AND FILM, released in cinemas April 4th (Dogwoof).

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The Cinema Of Childhood season will launch April 11th at Filmhouse, BFI Southbank, and other key venues across the UK. The season, which will tour the UK for a year, includes 17 brilliant films from 12 countries, spanning 7 decades. Most have rarely been seen in the UK – some are totally new to UK audiences.

“These are some of the best films you’ve never had a chance to see,” Cousins says. “Films about childhood take us on fantastic voyages. E.T.: THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL was a magical bike ride across the moon. THE JUNGLE BOOK showed us the bare necessities.  A boy in THE RED BALLOON stole our hearts.  But beyond these mainstream and arthouse classics, there’s a world of great cinema about kids which is hardly known, but just as brilliant.  Welcome to that world.  Jump into it.”

“Fly to the moon on gossamer wings with the little boy in Astrid Henning-Jensen’s PALLE ALONE IN THE WORLD from 1949.  Get close to the flame of life with Renko, in Shinji Somai’s 1993 masterpiece, MOVING.  Body-swerve the bullies in Karel Kachyna’s Czech cinematic wonder, LONG LIVE THE REPUBLIC, from 1965. See LITTLE FUGITIVE, the American film from 1953 which helped inspire the French New Wave. Discover the work of one of the world’s greatest movie-makers,
Mohammad-Ali Talebi from Iran with three of his best films – THE BOOT, BAG OF RICE, and his poetic masterpiece WILLOW AND WIND.” Mohammad-Ali Talebi will visit the UK for the first time in April, as a guest of the British Council to launch the season with Mark Cousins at BFI Southbank, Filmhouse and other venues to be announced.

Most of the titles in the season are featured in Mark’s documentary A STORY OF CHILDREN AND FILM, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last year to 5-star reviews, and has since been acclaimed at many other major festivals worldwide, including Edinburgh, Karlovy Vary, Telluride, Toronto, Stockholm and Dubai.

The season opens up a world of wonder for audiences of all ages who are keen to explore beyond Hollywood’s idea of childhood. The films are both specific to their own time and culture, but also universal in their depiction of childhood emotions, hopes and fears. Children everywhere have so much in common – only the worlds they inhabit are different.

Emotionally engaging with audiences from 8 to 80, Cinema of Childhood invites filmgoers to go on a global adventure with Mark, to discover previously unknown movie masterpieces and to see the world anew through young eyes. Uplifting and exhilarating, these are films to brighten your day.

 

The season is managed by Filmhouse, which has licensed the films for a year, and is creating new digital materials where necessary to make the films available to the widest possible range of cinema venues.   Filmhouse has also licensed the VoD rights for many of the titles, enabling audiences to watch these titles at their own convenience from home or on the move via Filmhouse Player.

The project is backed by the BFI’s Programming Development Fund, awarding funds from the National Lottery. The producer of the season is Adam Dawtrey, who also produced (with Mary Bell) A STORY OF CHILDREN AND FILM.
Filmhouse (Edinburgh) and BFI Southbank (London) will programme the entire season from April to June. Other venues already confirmed to host Cinema of Childhood include Queen’s Theatre (Belfast), Chapter Arts Centre (Cardiff), Broadway (Nottingham), Dundee Contemporary Arts, Glasgow Film Theatre, Eden Court Theatre (Inverness), the Roses Theatre (Tewkesbury), Duke of York’s (Brighton), Watershed (Bristol), Cornerhouse (Manchester) and Showroom (Sheffield),along with selected Picturehouse and Curzon cinemas nationwide. Films from the season will also screen at special festival events, including the Glasgow Youth Film Festival screening ofThe White Balloon on 9th February, Zoom International Youth Film Festival and WoW Festival in March, and the Brighton Festival in May.
Further venues will be announced in due course.

In addition there are plans to screen films from Cinema of Childhood in partnership with several organisations concerned with child welfare. These screenings, which will be targeted at a mixed audience of childcare experts and the general public, will explore representations of childhood from a professional perspective, looking at issues from different cultural and global viewpoints.

 

The full list of titles screening in the Cinema of Childhood season are:
• “Willow and Wind” (Bid-o Baad). Iran, Japan, 1999. D. Mohammad-Ali Talebi. 77 mins. A boy breaks a school window, and must mend it himself before he’s allowed back in class.

• “Bag of Rice” (Kiseye Berendje). Iran, Japan, 1998. D. Mohammad-Ali Talebi. 80 mins. A little girl and an old blind lady decide to carry a sack of rice across Tehran.

• “The Boot” (Chakmeh). Iran 1993. D. Mohammad-Ali Talebi. 60 mins. A little girl craves a new pair of red wellies – but then loses one.

• “The Little Girl Who Sold the Sun” (La petite vendeuse de soleil). Senegal, Switzerland, France, Germany 1999. D. Djibril Diop Mambety. 45 min. A feisty crippled girl tries to improve her life by selling newspapers on the streets of Dakar.

• “Hugo and Josephine” (Hugo och Josefin). Sweden, 1967. D. Kjell Grede. 82 mins. The lonely daughter of a rural pastor makes friends with a wild boy who lives in the woods.

• “The King of Masks” (Bian Lian) China, Hong Kong, 1997. D. Wu Tian-Ming. 91 mins. An old illusionist buys a young boy to become his apprentice – but the boy isn’t quite what he seems.

• “The White Balloon” (Badkonake sefid) Iran 1995. D. Jafar Panahi. 85 mins. A stubborn little girl wants a new goldfish, and won’t let anything get in her way.

• “Tomka and his Friends” (Tomka dhe shokët e tij) Albania, 1977. D. Xhanfise Keko. 78 mins. A gang of Albanian boys in WW2 become secret agents for the Resistance when German troops occupy their village.

• “Palle Alone in the World” (Palle alene i verden). Denmark 1949. D. Astrid Henning-Jensen. 25 min. A boy wakes up to find Copenhagen deserted, and it becomes his giant playground.

• “Ten Minutes Older”. (Par desmit minutem vecaks). Latvia 1978. D. Herz Frank. 10 mins. One close-up, 10 minutes long, of a small boy’s face as he watches a thrilling puppet show.

• “Long Live the Republic” (At’ zije republika) Czechoslovakia, 1965. D. Karel Kachyna, 134 mins. A bullied boy tries to survive in a Czech village as the Germans retreat and the Russians advance.

•  “Moving” (Ohikkoshi) Japan, 1993. D. Shinji Sômai. 124 mins. A girl struggles to come to terms with her parents’ divorce.

• “Forbidden Games” (Jeux interdits). France, 1952. D. René Clément. 86 mins. A boy and a girl retreat into a fantasy world to escape the horrors of WW2.

• “Crows” (Wrony). Poland, 1994. D. Dorota KÄdzierzawska. 63 mins. A neglected girl steals a younger girl to become her surrogate mother.

• “Little Fugitive”. USA 1953. Dir Morris Engel, Ray Ashley, Ruth Orkin. 80 mins. A 7-year-old boy runs away to Coney Island when he thinks he’s killed his older brother.

• “Children in the Wind” (Kaze no naka no kodomo) Japan, 1937. D. Hiroshi Shimizu. 88 mins. The idyllic village life of a Japanese boy falls apart when his father is falsely imprisoned.

• “The Unseen” (NespatÅené). Czech Republic, 1997. D. Miroslav Janek. 53 mins. Documentary about Czech blind kids with remarkable talents, including taking photos.

 

Famous People Who Became Successful Later In Life

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It just occurred to me today that I have spent far too much of my twenties trying to fit a lot of stuff in before I hit 30. And I actually have no idea why. Nothing huge is going to happen when I become 30, I doubt any huge revelation will happen. I actually reckon it will exactly be like becoming 29 only with one more year added on.

Of course it matters to other people. And bitchy people too. The moment I turned 25 people started asking me how I felt about being 30 soon, I mean, calm down. But who cares what other people think anyway, especially when they are rude. Of course, these people will be 30 themselves one day and will probably have someone younger than them act the same way towards them. That is one of the joys of aging: it’s equality. Nobody escapes.

What I have realised is that, actually, the only thing that bothers me about getting older is feeling that I have not done enough to be that age. But even that goes out of the window when I read about the amazing people below. Success doesn’t have an age limit, and neither does talent. In fact, when I hit 30 I will be married, have a successful business and a few other careers, I will have traveled and have amazing friends. Life can only (hopefully!) get more amazing from this point.

 

Deborah McKinlay

That Part Was True book

Deborah is the poster girl for life beginning at 40: she had a baby, got a seven-figure advance and a film deal for her novel, That Part Was True, and went back to University. The University just happened to be Cambridge. She was pregnant when she wrote her thesis and says: ‘You never know when life is going to turn around.’ She truly is an inspiration.

 

Betty White

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Betty White was a jobbing actress for decades but it was her role in The Mary Tyler Moore Show that made her famous. She was 51 at the time. The now 92-year-old actress has won numerous Emmys and was also a Golden Girl. Still working: she stars in Hot In Cleveland and hosts her own show Betty White’s Off Their Rockers.

 

Leslie Neilson

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It was his role in the classic 1980s movie parody Airplane! that made him famous at the age of 54. He starred in over 50 television shows in 2 years before that and worked for decades before making it big.

 

Hulk Hogan

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After failing to find work in movies Hulk became a wrestler and found fame in his 40s. This strategy worked as, after finding fame as a wrestler, he got work in movies and became a huge star.

 

Steve Carrell

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Made his name with The Office when he was 43 after sharpening his skills on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart for 6 seasons. He is now a movie star in his own right.

 

Morgan Freeman

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Became famous at the age of 52 after starring in 1988 film Driving Miss Daisy. He was Oscar nominated for his role. Morgan has starred in over 90 films and paid his dues for decades before finding fame.

 

Vera Wang

success later in life

Vera Wang only started designing wedding dresses in her 40s after failing to make it on the US Olympic figure-skating team and then being passed over for the editor-in-chief position when she was an editor at Vogue. She is now an incredibly famous and successful designer. So there you go.

 

Burt Reynolds

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Became an actor after an injury sidelined a professional football career. Burt Reynolds has starred in over 70 movies. His breakthrough role was in 1972 film Deliverance. He then became famous and has his own star on the Walk of Fame.

 

Steven Seagal

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Steven Seagal starred in Above The Law as a favour to a student from his dojo. He was a martial arts teacher before that point and Under Siege became a box-office hit a few years later making him an action hero at 40-years-old.

 

Samuel L. Jackson

success after 40

A former crack addict and alcoholic, Samuel decided to turn his life around in his 40s and is now one of the most famous and hardest working movie stars with over 100 movies under his belt. His breakthrough role was in Spike Lee’s 1991 film Jungle Fever.

 

Julia Child

Julia Child, Miami Bookfair International, 1989

Published Mastering the Art of French Cooking when she was 50 and then got her own show The French Chef which was successful. She discovered French cuisine after moving to Paris with her husband in 1948 when she was 36. She enrolled at the famous Le Cordon Bleu to learn how to cook. The rest is history.

 

Alan Rickman

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Got his first film role in his mid-40s after plugging away for decades.

 

Feeling inspired? Have any thoughts? Comment below.

 

Actor Timothy West Reveals Wife Prunella Scales’ Dementia

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timothy west prunella scalesVery sad news. It’s been reported today that the actress Prunella Scales, best known for her role as Sybil in Fawlty Towers, is living with Alzheimer’s disease. Her husband, actor Timothy West, revealed the couple’s battle with the condition as part of a documentary, Grand Canal Journeys, which is due to be screened on More4.

Rebecca Wood, Chief Executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK, the UK’s leading dementia research charity, said:

“It’s always sad to learn that a much-loved public figure is living with Alzheimer’s, and this news will have touched the hundreds of thousands of families across the UK who are facing a similar struggle. By speaking out about their experiences, the couple have helped bring dementia into the spotlight, in turn helping to tackle some of the stigma that still surrounds the condition. We are grateful to them for helping to bring attention to the many challenges faced by people with Alzheimer’s disease.

“Timothy West has backed our calls for increased funding for dementia research in the past, and research is vitally important to bring about better outcomes for people with the condition. Though we currently lack treatments that can stop the diseases that cause dementia, with the right backing, research can deliver new treatments that are so desperately needed.”

 

Oscars 2014 Round Up

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The Oscars year after year always draw a lot of worldwide viewers and become a topic of discussion on many levels. Sometimes the focus of the movies seems less important than the storylines of the event itself and when you watch some of the opening ceremonies of the event, the media seem way more focused on what the stars are wearing and who designed it. What seems even more mind blowing is the value of some of the dresses and jewelry worn by some of the finest ladies on the planet are just insane with social media still buzzing over Charlize Theron’s $15M diamond necklace. She was not the only one dressed in bling and everyone got scrutinized for what they wore with social media being lit up on how the stars looked rather than what movies got what accolades. Of course Ellen DeGeneres was the host of the show and did a great job and made the show entertaining to watch.

Let’s start with who looked not so flattering and that the person who stole the show in that category was unfortunately Liza Minnelli. First DeGeneres joked earlier that the Liza Minnelli lookalike was a little too masculine hinting at being a drag queen. That didn’t seem to sit well with her but her dress was just mind-blowing on how poor of a choice it was in many ways. It looked ok to begin with, it was all blue and was more of a pant leg than anything dressy so maybe that is why Ellen did the drag queen jab but if you look at some of the pics of Liza on the red carpet it is hard not to notice her, ummm, lack of bra? That’s right, her puppies were fully visible through her blue top. So Liza took the award for possibly worst dressed and although she is a sweet looking lady, it just wasn’t her night unless her dress was part of a campaign to be talked about.

Best Dressed Lupita Nyong’o

Lupita Nyong’o stole the show for looking the best on all levels. She seemed to have an elegant but minimalistic look that made her look like an absolute princess. She wore a pale blue Prada dress that painted a nice backdrop to her beautiful dark skin, bright white smile while sporting and an elegant gold and diamond headband designed by Fred Leighton. She of course won an Oscar which was only fitting.

Charlize Theron $15M look

Charlize made a statement to make sure people would talk about her during and after the Oscars and it worked. She had a stunning black Dior dress and the talking piece of her look was the $15 million worth of diamonds on her neck which was set by Harry Winston. That is a lot of money invested into a compact piece of jewelry and you wouldn’t want that sitting around in case it gets lost or disappears. I’m sure the ladies would love to keep all their jewelry at the end of the night but that is quite a bit to hang on to and is probably worth selling and I’m sure a company like wpdiamonds will be busy buying up some unused diamonds as money is better left in the bank getting interest and kept safe.

Angelina Jolie brings 42 karat diamond bling

Angelina Jolie always looks great and on the Oscars 2014 she made sure she would be talked about and upon hitting the stage received a standing ovation as she has won the respect of many around the world for her double mastectomy and raising awareness to women around the world to get checkups and tests for breast cancer. That aside she had some serious earrings, 42 karat diamonds designed by Robert Procop. Her dress was simplistic but also pure elegance and definitely one of the best looking ladies of the night.

Ellen Oscar Selfie

Ellen breaks Twitter


Of course the most popular selfie pic in the world broke Twitter and was taken by Bradley Cooper. Ironically enough, Liza Minnelli was trying to fit into the pic but as the people were crowding the space, she was just left at the bad and was not included in the most retweeted pic in internet and Twitter history. That pic is probably the best way to summarize the entire evening. The pic fortunately will be what people can and will remember the Oscars for, as much as we love what the ladies looked like and what they were wearing, this pic is what it is all about and what people should be talking about.

 

First Look At Posh | Film

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See the first look images of POSH, from Universal Pictures. Out in UK cinemas on 19th September

 

posh first look

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Cast: Max Irons, Sam Claflin, Douglas Booth, Sam Reid, Ben Schnetzer, Holliday Grainger, Jessica Brown Findlay and Freddie Fox

Directed by: Lone Scherfig

Writer: Laura Wade

Based on a play by: Laura Wade

Set amongst the privileged elite of Oxford University, POSH follows Miles (Max Irons) and Alistair (Sam Claflin), two first year students determined to join the infamous Riot Club, where reputations can be made or destroyed over the course of a single evening. POSH is directed by Lone Scherfig, who most recently helmed ‘One Day’, and the Best Picture Academy Award nominee ‘An Education’. It is produced by Pete Czernin and Graham Broadbent of Blueprint Pictures (‘The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’, ‘Seven Psychopaths’).

Screenwriter Laura Wade has adapted her critically-acclaimed play, with development support from the BFI Film Fund and Film4. ‘Posh’ premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in London in 2010, before transferring to the West End.

 

Image One – Cast in order of appearance in the image: Olly Alexander, Douglas Booth, Sam Claflin, Max Irons, Sam Reid, Ben Schnetzer, Matthew Beard, Jack Farthing, Josh O Connor, Freddie Fox

Image Two – Cast in order of appearance in the image: Holliday Grainger , Max Irons

 

Get Ready For London Wine Week

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Block out your diary! The team behind London Cocktail Week have now launched the inaugural London Wine Week, which will be taking place 2nd – 8th June 2014.

londonwineweekA unique seven day celebration of the capital’s flourishing wine scene, set against the backdrop of some of London’s finest bars and restaurants; London Wine Week is designed to decode the wine list and give you new confidence and knowledge when ordering.

Always seem to fall back on old favourites? Feel overwhelmed by the vast number of options? The festival will help you discover new grapes, varieties and vintages usually unavailable by the glass. Simply buy a wristband for just £10 to be part of the Wine Tours, and use the specially created pocket-sized guidebook which maps out all the venues taking part.

From dusty wine vaults to classic hotel bars, top-end restaurants to tiny hidden gems – flash your London Wine Week wristband throughout the week to qualify for premium wines by the glass and taster wine flights, each for just £5.

The festival will also be championing the wealth of incredible independent wine merchants who will be throwing open their doors during the week to offer masterclasses, meet the maker sessions and discounts on bottles for wristband wearers.

And as if this wasn’t enough, there will be a full schedule of ticketed, bespoke events – all a complete departure from the pre-imagined white tablecloth and spittoon tastings, and instead tapping into the pop-up phenomenon and emerging street food movement.

Join the conversation @LDNWineWeek and head to www.londonwineweek.com to register for updates. Wristbands go on sale in April.

Food For Thought – Community Cooking: Frost Loves…Wonderbag

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We love this environmentally friendly slow cooker that also helps poverty-stricken families in Africa. The powerless cooker which brings power to people! Invest in insulation and this foundation donates one Wonderbag to a poverty stricken family in Africa with every one bought.

Think Empowerment, Economical, and Environmental, helping the world with the Wonderbag! Simple, slow cooking that saves energy and society. Heat it, bag it, cook it, eat it.

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This revolutionary slow cooker will keep food heated all day long. Flavour up your lives and welcome the fabulous Wonderbag as an innovative method of home cooking! So support the motto ‘a recipe for change’ and transform the lives of yourselves and others less fortunate!

Energy efficient and effective portable power, this convenient cooking system is perfect for all occasions and places – picnics, parties and camping! You can even keep your food cool or frozen as it re­uses energy so efficiently!

Wondering where these Wonderbags are available… www.prezzybox.com for only £79.00

Features:

Insulated, heat­ retention technique

Electricity free slow cooking

Buy One, Give One campaign – Easing poverty and improving lives

Saves precious water and food in Africa cooking conditions

Reducing CO2 Emissions

Efficient cash saving, cooking time and energy

What do you think?

The Oscars Red Carpet – Get The Look

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Emma Watson

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0.50 Carat Diamond Hoop Earrings in 18k White Gold- £999

 

Jennifer Lawrence

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0.50 Carat D/VVS2 18k White Gold Stud Diamond Earrings- £999

 

Kerry Washington

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5.00 Carat Tennis Diamond Bracelet- £9,969

 

All available from Vashi.com

What do you think?